Well, I started this, my very first NaNoWriMo, on the right foot. For the first five days, I was keeping up with my word count and staying where I needed to be. I even had a buffer in case I faltered a day.....which I did. This past weekend. I was pretty much resigned to the fact that I wouldn't be able to write on Sunday, as it was our first wedding anniversary and we'd be spending the day at Disney World to celebrate. Saturday, we had a housewarming/birthday/anniversary party for my sister-in-law/nephew/us, respectively, so I figured nothing would get done that day, as well.
As it turned out, though, Saturday wasn't an 'entire evening' sort of thing, so I actually got some writing time in and made my word count for the day.
Sunday, as I figured, was a wash...which was just fine because there were more important things to tend to. I semi-struggled and managed to catch back up yesterday (Monday), which even impressed myself.
I'm still on track, but that 'skip' kind of opened my eyes to something. You see, originally, my plan was to get this huge word count built up so I could take days 'off' if I needed and still win in the end. I found out, while trying to catch up that I really -needed- to write everyday (if possible). Yesterday I was struggling to focus and putting more hours than usual into my story. For me, going along a steadier pace, sitting down to write -every day- is how I'm going to get through this.
It's all about the discipline. I read something once that said if you can do something for two weeks, then it becomes almost like a habit. That applies to me, wholeheartedly. When I was working out a lot, after a while it was like second nature and going to the gym wasn't an issue at all. I'm hoping that, by sitting down every day and hitting the keyboard, it will become almost like a habit....where I'll feel bad/guilty about not doing it and, then, get my rear in gear.
In my case, slow and steady, definitely wins the race. Of course, we all know that NaNoWriMo is all about the race...not the finish line.
Keep on running, my friends, keep on running =)
4 comments:
You're doing great! I think once you get into a nice stride and pattern everything becomes that bit easier. Like driving a car, you forget about pushing the pedals (getting your butt infront of the computer) and focus on more important things - like exactly what you're writing. Good luck!
Thanks and you're right. I like the car analogy...definitely makes sense.
Best to you, too.
I think you're right - especially with something like writing, the continuity of daily writing keeps your head in the game. You can settle into a rhythm. I'm trying to at least sit in front of the computer and type a few words - even if I'm ahead and I'm taking a day "off".
Exactly, Jennifer...a little bit is much better than nothing.
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